strongChris L. Richardson/strong is a senior software engineer on a .NET web development project at a Fortune 500 company. Before making the transition to Windows and web programming, he held senior programmer/analyst positions on the mainframe platform. For the majority of his 20+ years in the information technology field, he has developed using COBOL, CICS, and DB2. Chris proudly reminds people of his mainframe background and jokingly refers to himself as a "reformed mainframe programmer." He divides his leisure time between entrepreneurial endeavors (such as his startup, California-based eClectic Software Solutions) and studying for his next Microsoft certification exam.

"This book explains what .Net is, then provides a comprehensive guide to retraining. The style is conversational and easy to read. … Presentation is well structured, with plenty of notes, tips and cautions on matters such as registry editing. There are cross references to related topics covered in other chapters, and a copious index and relevant references are provided at the end of each chapter, with useful downloads." (Philip Ballinger, Computer Bulletin, March, 2004)